Wednesday, March 7, 2012

From the moment when my life really started to become my own (my late high school/early college years), adventure became the driving force in my quest to find and become me. The concept of adventure has lead me away from the cornfields of my youth, over the Atlantic for a year-long European excursion, through four amazing years of university, to an elite summer camp perched at the top of the Colorado Rockies, then sat me on the floor of the Ruby Valley to teach in a one-horse Montana town. Adventure also gave me the courage to forge over the Tobacco Root Mountains to the new valley where I now live. It has inspired me to try things I would have never tried before and helped me to work through and embrace the strange quirks of the new cultures I have had the privilege to experience. In essence, adventure helped me discover who I really am and challenged me to be more.

I've been in the same place now for about five years. It's kind of weird to think about really, because that's the second longest stretch of time I've spent in one area doing the same thing (second only to the 18-year stretch I spent growing up in the 'burg of my youth). I guess it's no wonder that I've been getting that itch again... the itch for something new. The Universe must have sensed it too, because just this fall it sent us the adventures of all adventures. Parenthood.

We were definitely happily surprised to find out it was our turn. We've watched many friends go down the path before. There are definite advantages of not being the first, one of which is not being disillusioned about the realities of having a baby around-- the 2 a.m. feedings, diaper blow-outs, sleepless nights, potty training, and the like.

Despite our nerves, we are really excited. I can't wait to snuggle our little Peanut for the first time, read to him/her, and sing the first lullaby. I just hope that our sense of adventure will guide us as it has in the past and help us to remember to look up from the necessary and often tedious grind of the child-rearing routine and embrace the whole situation as a life-long adventure, for better or for worse. After all, adventure has lead us to and from some pretty remarkable places before. Why wouldn't it be able to guide us through this too